How to Build a Water Tank With Cattle Panels

Economical water storage and distribution is a perennial problem on the farm, where animals and buildings may be located over a wide area, far from wells and underground water pipes. While cattle panels aren't exactly the first material you think of for constructing a water tank (something about all of the holes), they can actually make a cheap and sturdy frame for a 30-foot diameter, 4-foot deep plastic-lined water tank when properly lined with hay or straw to prevent punctures to the plastic. Does this Spark an idea?

Instructions

1

Connect two 16-foot panels of small-wire fencing sections--cattle panels--together. Overlap the short ends by one foot to make a single, 31-foot long panel and fasten them together with twisted baling wire on every square where the two panels overlap. Keep all of the twisted ends of the baling wire on one side of the panels. This way, you can keep the pointy twisted wires on the outside of the tank, where they can't puncture the water tank's plastic liner.

2

Bend the two free ends of the connected panels around to form a four-foot tall cylinder. Overlap the free ends by one foot and fasten them together with twisted baling wire on every square where the panels overlap. Double check that all of the twisted wire points are facing the outside of the cylinder.

3

Place a six-inch deep layer of hay or straw on the ground inside the cattle panel cylinder. This will protect the plastic liner from stones or other sharp objects on the ground.

4

Drape a 20-by-20-foot piece of seamless, heavy duty plastic sheeting inside the cattle panel frame. Make sure it's centered, so that it reaches the top of the four-foot frame on all sides, with some to spare.

5

Slowly fill the plastic liner with water. As the water level rises, stuff more hay or straw between the plastic sheeting and the cattle panel walls of the frame. The goal is to keep the plastic from resting directly against the wire of the cattle panels at any point. The hay or straw insulation will prevent rubs and punctures in the plastic. When the tank is full, drape the excess plastic over the top of the cattle panels and let it hang down the outside of the tank. You can cut the long corners off to prevent them being blown around by the wind.